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Bolton-Stanley Cosmic Noise Expedition to New Zealand 1948 Miller Goss National Radio Astronomy Observatory Socorro, New Mexico USA Orewa, 30 Jan. 2013 http://www.nrao.edu/ NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 1 A short overview- concentrate on the Pakiri Hill portion of 1948 • How the Greenwood family found us in Sept 2008 • Why the expedition and what happened before the expedition • Time line of the expedition • The interaction with the Greenwood family • Newspaper coverage of the visit – 8 articles in NZ and 3 in Australia in 1948 and then again in 2009 two written by Delwyn Dickey. Rodney Times • The results of the expedition and the Nature paper of 1949 NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 2 John, Gordon and the head of the group- J. L. Pawsey – early 1954 25 January 2013 3 The Cosmic Noise Expedition to NZ in 1948 by John Bolton and Gordon Stanley • Woody Sullivan writes : “The short paper by Bolton, Stanley and Slee (1949 in Nature) was one of the most important in early radio astronomy, presenting a first plausible link between ‘galactic noise’ and traditional astronomy.” The story of the miracle of 2008 – talk at the Stardome on 29 Sept 2008 Auckland Astronomical Society • I met Grant Christie, my host • Libby and I went with Grant to Piha on 1 October and with help from Sandra Coney we met Simon Stoddard, a park ranger and later in the day Jordan Alexander and Kate Stone . We see Piha • Next day- 2 Oct- we went to Leigh and Pakiri Hill with Sergei Gulyaev and Peter Thomasson NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 5 continued • We had the longitude and latitude of the Pakiri site and maps (typical errors a few 100 m) • We ended up initially at the property just to the north – Martin and Jane Munro’s farm. We trespassed and later on we meet Bill Munro and his friend Pete Bettridge. Sergei and I discussed the location- we had second thoughts. I thought this was not the place and we moved on NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 6 continued • We went to the next farm on J Greenwood Road to the south- we could see this from the Munro farm at a distance of about 400 m • We asked the tenant for permission to walk on his property. We thought we were at the right place (Bolton’s longitude and latitude have errors of 100-200 m only). We were convinced we were at the right place. • We drove around Leigh and kidnapped Dorothy Cooper – the beginning of a long friendship NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 7 Our trip Sept. 2008 – started at Martin Munro’s farm – used our GPS. Met Bill Munro, he contacted John Matheson who called Peter Greenwood after we left for the US the next day; later that day a black car with a Russian and a Brit and two Americans kidnapped Dorothy Cooper in Leigh 25 January 2011 8 The Greeenwood farm Springbank – but we did not know it ! Few weeks later Peter, Doreen and Gordon at the site 25 January 2011 9 NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 10 Libby and Miller Goss return to US on 3 Oct 2008 • Immediate emails from Peter and Sally Greenwood • We talked on the phone – Peter told me : “You are the first astronomer I have talked to in 60 years.” • I heard about the fabulous archive that Beverley Chessum (née Greenwood) had preserved • On 10 Oct Beverley and I were in email contact- as she described the original sea-cliff interferometer recording , I was amazed and thrilled! We had many phone conversations • Then a year later we returned NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 11 Peter showed us the site of the radio telescope from 61 years earlier- 2009 25 January 2011 12 Radio Astronomy history was made here. We returned with Peter 16 Nov 2009 25 January 2011 13 Few days later. Delwyn Dickey and I returned for more photos- I learned about No 8 wire- Ron Ekers at the site- the photo in the Greenwood family archive 25 January 2011 14 The time line • 6-8 June 1948 – arrive at Leigh . Greenwood farm, John and Gordon have bad colds • 10 June ---- start testing with Cygnus A 23 36 NZST for 7 hours • 14 June – routine Cygnus A data • 23 June – visit of DSIR , Burbidge and Alan Maxwell from Auckland University College • 24 June – the visit of Ronald McIntosh of Auckland Star and an editor of the NZ Herald. Later in the day two correspondents from NZ Herald • 24 June – stop Cyg A observations and access quality • 25 June – Auckland Star article “Important Cosmic Research at Leigh”John is very upset • 26 June-NZ Herald article “Cosmic Noise from Regions of the Milky Way. Investigations by Night at Leigh in New Scientific Field.” • 8 July – start again with Cyg A observations NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 15 Time line continued • 11 to 18 July – Taurus A data. The recording from 18 July is left with the Greenwood family • 29 July – leave Leigh for Piha . Birthday card for Beverley from John Bolton. Cygnus A observed 23 times at Leigh and Taurus 5 times • 31 July – start observations at Piha. After a few nights at the cold , flea invested tourist hotel. Move in with the caretakers Don and Lorraine Taylor at the RNZAF mothballed station • 31 July to 7 August Cyg A observed, Taurus 31 July to 4 August, Cen A 2 to 8 August and Virgo A (with new name – moved from Coma Berenices to Virgo after first days observations) from 31 July to 8 August. Sun observed 6, 7, 8 August to test refraction calibration. Joint simultaneous observation with Bruce Slee back at Dover Heights, Sydney • 6 August – Gordon wrote a thank you letter to Mrs. Greenwood • 7 August – NZ Herald “ Radiation from Space. Scientists move to Piha.” NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 16 Time line continued • 9 August – John gives a talk at Auckland University College described in the NZ Herald on 12 August “ Cosmic Noise. New Zealand Lost Opportunity . Study of Radiations.” • 10 August – leave Piha for Auckland . 13 Aug John leaves for Sydney and a week later Gordon • 17 September 1948. John wrote Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood with thank you and also announced the Tau A identification with the Crab Nebula. At Piha we obtained “perfect patterns on four of our sources.” • 22 January 2009- Rodney Times, “Legend Starts at Pakiri,” by Delwyn Dickey NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 17 The state of “cosmic noise” in 1947-48 • One solid identification of a radio source with a well known optical object : The Sun and the Moon • The northern source Cygnus A was detected in Sydney but the errors in the position were some degrees- large discrepancy between Cambridge and Sydney • The new sources discovered in late 1947 at Dover Heights,Sydney:Tau A ,Virgo A, Cen A • Published in Nature – mid 1948. No id’s 25 January 2013 18 The Sea Cliff Interferometer- first use of radio astronomical interferometry 26 Jan. 1946- Australia Day- by Ruby Payne-Scott , Pawsey and McCready NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 19 21h 24 time 15h 25 January 2013 16 20 Then needed a WEST facing cliff. To observe the sources setting. Also they needed a HIGHER cliff- to improve the resolution and the “fringe rate.” More importantly by combing rising and setting observations (East and West facing) the positional errors had a quantum jump improved in accuracy • Looked at Western Australia • Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands • Many locations on the North Island- where the distance between E and W coasts was small 25 January 2013 22 The motif of the NZ Expedition was Cygnus A- the strongest radio source known – outside Sun • The parameters of the exhibition (location, time of year, horizon etc ) determined by Cygnus A – only reached 15 deg above the horizon in the north – above the horizon for only 7 hours per day. The other radio objects were almost an after thought • The fact that it is far north from Australia and NZ played a major role in the evolution of early radio astronomy • Refraction was a major problem • And it was in the galactic plane where the star density is high- early thinking was that this was a nearby star associated with strong radio emission. This meant the radio position had to be determined with high accuracy to find the associated “star.” In the end it is associated with a massive galaxy at a huge distance from the Sun – about 700 million light years ! NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 23 Preparations for the NZ Expedition • Correspondence with many different entities in NZ. • The Surveyor General- suggested Cape Reinga, Cape Brett- Little Barrier Island, Pakiri , Cape Colville, North Cape (no suitable site). Choice was Cape Reinga or Leigh • DSIR- wanted a large truck and 200 gallons of petrol- Brooke at Auckland Industrial Development Lab of DSIR was the contact person. • PMG- radio interference . Auckland police transmitter 97MHz • Prime Minister’s Depart. in Wellington- told them to go through Depart of External Affairs. In the end not needed • Waitemata Electric-power board • CSIR Head Office in Melbourne • Weather Bureau in NZ • List of tools to take- including 2 blankets • Shipping details- “Salamaua” 28 May 1948 from Sydney 25 January 2013 24 Auckland-Leigh June 1948---- images from Gordon Stanley as processed by Stephen Stanley NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 25 Pakiri Hill – Springbank Farm 25 January 2013 26 Other activities NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 27 John and Gordon knew the Greenwood children well Irwin and Elva Greenwood Beverley Chessum b 1937, Gordon Greenwood b 1939, Peter Greenwood b 1940, Doreen Richards b 1943 25 January 2011 28 The Greenwood family archive was preserved; Beverley Chessum; Libby and I have a fine visit in 2009 25 January 2011 29 Letters from John and Gordon – Christmas cards, photos, newspaper clippings etc NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 30 My favourites NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 31 Taurus A, and 3C123- 13 July 1948 25 January 2013 32 The chart recorder at Dover Heights NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 33 The original recording will be given to the National Library of New Zeeland- Alexander Turnbull Library NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 34 In Sydney the interpretation of the data by John • Now after the work in Sydney the position of Tau A was precise at the level of 10 arc min instead of degree • Virgo A had been placed in the wrong constellation based on the earlier Dover Heights; at Piha the first observation missed detecting “Coma Berenices A” • Cygnus A work continued and never lead to a successful result- and I suspect that at least ¾ of the effort in NZ was expended on Cygnus A NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 35 “There is one definite result of the expedition so far and that is the position of Taurus – the source you have a record of the ‘noise’ comes from a star that blew up in AD 1054 AD. The remains are so hot that they are almost a million degrees and my own measurements give two million degrees so aren’t very far out as …. The work on Cygnus so far has only added to its mysteries, but I have no doubt that one day something in my mind will click and the bits of the jigsaw will all fit in… I must say that I felt the same about leaving you- very lost for a few days, particularly as Piha turned out to be a dismal place. [ Then looked after by the Taylors… the caretakers of the RNZAF station..] 25 January 2013 36 NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 37 The astronomical news of 1949 • Bolton wrote : “ but the limits of position enclose the most remarkable object in this region- NGC 1952 or the Crab nebula.” But as Sullivan says : ‘ This in fact was a gross underestimate, for the Crab nebula was one of the most remarkable objects in the entire sky.” • Bolton impressed the astronomy establishment with these identifications of Virgo A, Cen A and Taurus A. Oort at Leiden, R. Minkowski and W. Baade at Mt. Wilson in Pasadena CA. A number of letters were exchanged with them. Oort was especially interested in Tau A- did not believe the Virgo A id. He said : “Lots of galaxies in the Virgo cluster…” • Minkowski was to play an important role in the subsequent career of Bolton, helping bring him to Caltech in 1955 (to 1960) and visiting Sydney in the early 1960’s • The publication was July 1949 in Nature. Radio astronomy had come of age 25 January 2013 38 24 Oct. 2008 39 A few anecdotes and a question • The golf ball gift and the end of petrol rationing in Australia mid 1949 • Irwin Greenwood’s important contribution to the expedition late one night – from a story of Gordon Greenwood • I am puzzled – there was never a visit in subsequent years . I am certain Gordon and likely John were in NZ now and again. The letters and Christmas cards stopped in the 1950’s. Certainly the Bolton family knew many of the details of the 1948 expedition NZ and the Beginginngs of Radio Astronomy,Orewa,30Jan. 2013 40 Piha 41